Back togetha?

Hillary Swank and Chad Lowe might be back on. At least there's some hope in the otherwise desolate landscape of failing Hollywood marriages. --Melissa

Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe announced their split in January – but on Sunday the couple met at the low-key Tra di Noi restaurant in Malibu for a late lunch, PEOPLE reports in its upcoming issue.

"They seemed to be getting along very well," said an observer, noting that after the meal, Lowe, 38, walked Swank, 31, to her car. "He put his arm on her back when they were saying goodbye."

So, are the pair, who wed 8 years ago, reconciling? No official word yet, but a close friend of the double-Oscar winner tells PEOPLE, "It's not the first time (they've eaten together), it's just the first time the cameras have been around. It's evidence that they're working on their marriage."

These preservation-of-marriage acts can be typical, say professionals. "In any divorce or separation, people are confused. They think, 'Maybe I shouldn't be so hasty,'" says Beverly Hills psychiatrist Carole Lieberman. [People]

So who knows? Looks like we'll just have to wait and see.